


Turtles

by HappyIceCream



Category: Azumanga Daioh
Genre: Character Study, Conversations, Gen, Graduation, Post-Canon, relationship implied but not really central
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:41:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24801754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyIceCream/pseuds/HappyIceCream
Summary: Tomo and Osaka talk about college and turtles.One-shot, post-canon.
Relationships: Kasuga "Osaka" Ayumu/Takino Tomo
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Turtles

A knock on her front door interrupted Osaka from a nap she didn’t remember starting.

“Ayumu! Could you get that?”

“Haah… wha?” She blinked wearily. “Oh, right. Yes, Ma.” Rubbing her eyes, she groggily stumbled toward the door. Osaka didn’t remember inviting anyone over… but then again, she didn’t remember a lot of things.

Another knock didn’t do much to wake her, but opening the door shocked any sleepiness out of her. “Tomo-chan!”

The slightly smaller girl with shorter hair stood before her, looking somewhat meeker than usual. “Uh… hey… Osaka.” She rubbed the back of her neck, seemingly lost for words.

“Gosh, haven’t seen ya here since graduation. How’re ya doin’? Ah missed you, y’know!”

“It’s been a week.”

“Well, yeah, that’s a long time!”

“Listen, I was wondering if…” She stumbled over her words. “If you wanted to go shopping with me? I would’ve called you, but I don’t think you have a cell phone.”

Osaka grinned, her eyes twinkling. “Shoppin’! Yeah, sounds like fun! Ah can get me some more of them free tissues! Just like ol’ times!”

“Keep it down, ya knucklehead!” she snapped. Just like old times, indeed. “Just us two. Okay?”

“Yeah, sure thing! Sure thing! Just gotta grab mah purse.”

“Make it quick, then. I’m already winded from walking all the way here,” sighed Tomo.

As they headed out, Osaka tried to make light conversation. In the way only Osaka could, really. “Y’know, Ah hear them sea angels come out in th’ spring. Been wantin’ ta see ‘em for a while. Maybe we could go to the beach sometime?” Her sundress fluttered as she walked.

Instead of her usual mocking quips, Tomo just nodded and stared past her. Osaka’s house was in a comfortable corner of the neighborhood, and as they headed down the sidewalk, a fence gave way to a clearing through the woods.

“Y’know, maybe with Chiyo-chan an’ all them…?”

They passed through the clearing down a natural trail, an isolated path surrounded by brushes of trees. The cherry blossoms would soon begin to bloom, but right now the plants seemed lifeless, having only recently grown back their leaves from the winter. A crisp breeze passed through their branches, giving a rustling breath, then silence again.

“Yeah, I guess,” Tomo finally replied.

Osaka paused, thinking over this response. “But, Ah mean, it could just be you an’ me, if ya want. Ah like bein’ around you.” A squirrel scampered around a tree to avoid the two girls approaching.

They were about to cross a river, with a stone bridge connecting its banks. “Hey, you remember this place, right, Tomo-chan? This is where all them turtles come by.”

“Huh?” Tomo was seemingly awoken from a daze, turning to where Osaka was pointing. “Oh, yeah. There’s some over there.”

“Remember when we used to flip all them little guys over? They’re so cute. An’ round. An’ slow.” She laughed, a soft sound which Tomo found herself unfamiliar with. It was nice.

“Yeah. Hey, didn’t you say that turtles are, like… covered in germs or something?”

The taller girl placed her hands on her hips, proudly. “That’s right! Mah grammy told me that!” Her posture fell a bit. “But, y’know, sea slugs prob’ly do, too, an’ Ah love playin’ with them things.”

“That’s really gross!” Tomo finally cracked a smile. “What’s with you and sea slugs?! You’re such a weirdo!”

“But ya still love me, right?” Osaka had a knowing sparkle in her eyes.

“Hah… Yep, I do.” She shrugged in mock-defeat. “Even with your sea slug obsession.” The two broke into giggles, and the breeze picked up again.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tomo saw some of the turtles retreat into their shells, trying to escape the noise the girls were making. “Hey! Where’re you goin’, turtles?! You can hide, but you can’t run!”

Still grinning, Osaka turned to Tomo. “Ah think those guys’ve got everythin’ figured out. No need ta hurry, right?”

With this, the short-haired girl stopped harassing the reptiles. After a moment, her face fell again, back to her original, pensive state. “Yeah, maybe.”

“…Tomo-chan, you doin’ okay? Seems like you’re outta it.” Osaka stepped forward gently, the gears turning in her brain. “There’s somethin’ else besides shoppin’, ain’t there?”

Tomo blinked, not entirely sure how to respond. “I guess… I know it’s been a while since we’ve hung out together. And, y’know, graduation…”

“You got into th’ university you were hopin’ for, didn'tcha?”

“About that… I guess I did, but, it’s like…”

“Are ya worried we won’t see each other again just ‘cuz we’re in different schools? It ain’t like Ah’m goin’ back to Osaka. Or Kobe. Or Wakaya—”

“Stop making up names,” said Tomo. “I mean… I know it’s not that. But,” she paused, not used to letting her feelings spill out like this. “But I’m not sure if I have everything figured out.”

“Well, it ain’t like all of us can be like them turtles. Always figurin’ out new stuff, that’s just how life goes.” Osaka held her hand out. “Like, Ah didn’t know they made taiyaki ice cream ‘till yesterday.”

“They make taiyaki ice cream?”

“Yeah. You take th’ ice cream an' ya put it in that little fishy thing. It spills an' gets ev’rywhere.”

Wind rustled through the trees.

“Wouldn’t recommend it,” Osaka concluded.

“That’s one thing, Osaka, but I feel like I’m supposed to have made my mind up already. I’m going into university next month, but I still haven’t even decided what I want to be.” Her voice was growing louder.

Osaka raised her index finger to her chin. “Didn’t ya wanna be with INTERPOL or whatchamacallit?”

“You remember when I grew my hair out and told everyone I was gonna be like Fujiko Mine?” Tomo crossed her arms.

“That real pretty cartoon lady?”

Her cheeks flushed. “Y-yeah. Then last year I chopped it all off... because I couldn’t make up my mind. I’m _terrible_ at that.”

“So ya don’t wanna be Fujiko?”

“I don’t want to be a police officer!” She sighed. “I’m terrified of them. You know that! I just said that so everyone would think I had ambition, and, like... a goal. I _don’t_ , Osaka.” A turtle peeked out of its shell, eavesdropping on the conversation. “I really don’t have anything. I’m going to college not knowing where I’ll be when I get out. I’m kind of useless.”

“That’s not true.” Osaka gained a sympathetic, yet determined fire in her eyes. “Without you, Ah’d still be Ayumu Kasuga. Now Ah’m Osaka, an' it’s all thanks ta you. We got each other!”

“I don’t know… Do you have any idea what you’re gonna do in college? We both got terrible grades. What are you expecting to be, a teacher?”

Osaka tensed up. “Well, Miss Yukari got all scary with me for even thinkin’ ‘bout that. Nope. But Ah was shootin’ the breeze with Sakaki-chan an' she was all like,” she raised her shoulders and deepened her voice, “ _Maybe you might could consider pursuing a writing career, y’know._ ”

“Was that supposed to be Sakaki-chan?” The ends of Tomo’s lips curled upward, though her expression remained pensive.

“Well, anyway, truth be told: Ah don’t know where Ah’m goin’, either. But Ah’m tryin’ out writin’ for the time bein’. If it don’t work out, oh well. Ya get me, Tomo-chan?”

“Not really.”

“Look…” She placed her fingers on her temples. “You oughta learn from a turtle. It don’t matter where you’re goin’, long as you’re still takin’ steps forward.” 

Tomo took a second to parse this advice. Eventually, a lightbulb went off, and she silently pumped her fist. “You’re right, Osaka,” she said, smiling. “You're right.”

They shared a brief moment together in understanding. Even if they were both still figuring things out, they would be taking steps forward, together. After this moment of clarity, they continued on their way through the woods, over the bridge.

“An’ Ah gotta say, ya look real snazzy with short hair. Me, Ah could never pull that off. Would look just like Chihiro-chan.”

“Jeez!” Tomo chuckled. “You’re startin’ to sound like me!”

“Well, you’re rubbin’ off on me, is all!” They exited the woods and emerged near the commercial district, gleaming buildings rising in the distance. The afternoon sun glared down on them, no longer protected by the shade of the trees. 

Tomo slowed her pace a bit so she could walk side-by-side with Osaka. “Don’t let anyone know about this, either, but…”

“But what?” Osaka turned her head and smiled, revealing that familiar sparkle in her deep brown eyes.

Tomo turned away, unable to face what she was saying directly. “I’m really glad to have you around, Osaka.” Her eyes flitted in the taller girl’s direction. “But don’t go blabbering about it or— _hey!_ Get back here!”

Osaka had wandered off from Tomo’s side and returned with an armful of free tissues. “Ah’m so sorry! Ah just cain’t say no!”

**Author's Note:**

> this is based a bit on my own headcanons but i can't necessarily explain them all in the text so i'd like to go through them down here
> 
> \- tomo is bi (there's an official comic where she calls herself the Bi King), osaka is a lesbian (she does not perceive men)  
> \- they live a good distance from each other so they don't get to see each other much on their own, but i think they probably room together during college. maybe one of them switches schools  
> \- osaka is definitely autistic and probably has a special interest in marine life. she has a very logical way of thinking, it's just her own internal logic, so in that sense i think she'd be a good writer, especially since she's great with brainteasers  
> \- tomo probably has inferiority issues (see her new year's dream) and she projects that outward into bothering and competing with people. osaka's the only person she feels like she can open up around (the supplementary lessons show this quite well)
> 
> i wanted to write an extension of azumanga daioh's bittersweet nostalgic elements while maintaining the breezy feeling, and i figured tomo and osaka would be interesting to explore that tone with. i hope you enjoy it


End file.
